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She called me villain, Belford, that cursed scheme of hers, and within these few hours. And what to take measures upon it which is the sum of the present argu- shall enable her to abandon and ment; but that had I not been a renounce me for ever. Now, Jack, villain in her sense of the word, if I obtain not admission to her preshe had not been so much an sence on my return; but am refused angel? with haughtiness; if her week be O Jack, Jack! this midnight insisted upon (such prospects beattempt has made me mad; has fore her); I shall be confirmed in utterly undone me! How can the my conjecture; and it will be dear creature say, I have made plain to me, that weak at best her vile in her own eyes, when her was that love, which could give behaviour under such a surprise, place to punctilio, at a time when and her resentment under such the all-reconciling ceremony, as circumstances, have so greatly she must think, waits her comexalted her in mine? mand: then will I recollect all Whence, however, this strange her perversenesses; then will I rerhapsody: Is it owing to my peruse Miss Howe's letters, and being here? That I am not at Sin- the transcripts from others of clair's? But if there be infection them, give way to my aversion to in that house, how has my beloved the life of shackles: and then escaped it? shall she be mine in my own way. But no more in this strain! — I But, after all, I am in hopes, will see what her behaviour will be that she will have better conon my return yet already do I sidered of every thing by the begin to apprehend some little evening; that her threat of a sinkings, some little retrograda- week's distance was thrown out in tions: for I have just now a doubt the heat of passion; and that she arisen, whether, for her own sake, I should wish her to forgive me lightly, or with difficulty?

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I AM in a way to come at the wished-for licence.

will allow, that I have as much cause to quarrel with her for breach of her word, as she has with me for breach of the peace.

These lines of Rowe have got into my head; and I shall repeat I have now given every thing them very devoutly all the way between my beloved and me a full the chairmen shall poppet me consideration; and my puzzle is towards her by-and-by. over. What has brought me to a speedier determination, is, that I think I have found out what she means by the week's distance at which she intends to hold me. It is, that she may have time to write to Miss Howe, to put in motion

Teach me, some power, the happy art of
speech,
To dress my purpose up in gracious
words,

And never waken the tempestuous pas-
Such as may softly steal upon her soul,

sions.

LETTER III.

Mr. Lovelace to John Belford, Esq.

Thursday evening, June 8.

of many months; fighting through the wild-beasts of her family for her, and combating with a windmill virtue, which hath cost me

O for a curse to kill with!-- millions of perjuries only to atRuined! Undone ! Outwitted! tempt; and which now, with its Tricked! Zounds, man, the d-n'd air-fans, has tost me a lady is gone off! Absolutely mile and an half beyond hope! gone off! Escaped!

Thou knowest not, nor canst conceive, the pangs that wring my heart! What can I do! 0 Lord, O Lord, O Lord!

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And thou, too, who hast endeavoured to weaken my hands, wilt but clap thy dragon's wings at the tidings.

for

And this, just as I had arrived within view of the consummation of all my wishes!

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O devil of love! god of love no more how have I deserved this of thee! - Never before the friend of frozen virtue! Powerless demon, for powerless thou must be, if thou meanest not to frustrate Yet I must write, or I shall go my hopes; who shall henceforth distracted. Little less have I been kneel at thy altars! May every these two hours: dispatching mes- enterprising heart abhor, despise, sengers to every stage, to every execrate, renounce thee, as I do! inn, to every waggon or coach, - But, O Belford, Belford, what whether flying or creeping, and signifies cursing now! to every house with a bill up, five miles round. How she could effect this her The little hypocrite, who knows wicked escape, is my astonishnot a soul in this town, [I thought ment; the whole sisterhood having I was sure of her at any time] such charge of her:-for, as yet, I have an unexperienced traitress; giving not had patience enough to inme hope too, in her first billet, quire into the particulars, nor to that her expectation of the family- let a soul of them approach me. reconciliation would withhold her Of this I am sure, or I had not from taking such a step as this brought her hither; there is not a curse upon her contrivances! I creature belonging to this house, thought, that it was owing to her that could be corrupted either by bashfulness, to her modesty, that, virtue or remorse: the highest joy after a few innocent freedoms, she every infernal nymph of this could not look me in the face; worse than infernal habitation when, all the while, she was im- could have known, would have pudently [yes, I say, impudently, been to reduce this proud beauty though she be Clarissa Harlowe] to her own level. And as to my contriving to rob me of the dearest villain, who also had charge of property I had ever purchased-her, he is such a seasoned varlet, purchased by a painful servitude that he delights in mischief for

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the sake of it: no bribe could se- I did. I wanted to kill somebody. duce him to betray his trust, were I flew out of one room into anthere but wickedness in it! 'Tis other, while all avoided me but well, however, he was out of my the veteran Betty Carberry, who way when the cursed news was broke the matter to me. I charged imparted to me! Gone, the bribery and corruption, in my first villain! in quest of her: not to fury, upon all; and threatened return, nor see my face [so it destruction to old and young, as seems he declared] till he has they should come in my way. heard some tidings of her; and Dorcas continues locked up from all the out-of-place varlets of his me: Sally and Polly have not numerous acquaintance are sum- yet dared to appear: the vile moned and employed in the same Sinclair

business.

But here comes the odious devil. To what purpose brought I this She taps at the door, though that's angel (angel I must yet call her) only a jar, whining and snuffling, to this hellish house? And was to try, I suppose, to coax me into I not meditating to do her de- temper. served honour? By my soul, Belford, I was resolved but

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WHAT a helpless state, where thou knowest what I had con- a man can only execrate himself ditionally resolved and now, and others; the occasion of his who can tell into what hands she rage remaining; the evil increasmay have fallen! ing upon reflection; time itself conspiring to deepen it! O how I cursed her!

I am mad, stark mad, by Jupiter, at the thoughts of this! Unprovided, destitute, unac- I have her now, methinks, bequainted some villain, worse fore me, blubbering - how odious than myself, who adores her not does sorrow make an ugly face! as I adore her, may have seized Thine, Jack, and this old bedher, and taken advantage of her lam's, in penitentials, instead of distress! Let me perish, Bel- moving compassion, must everford, if a whole hecatomb of inno-more confirm hatred; while beauty cents, as the little plagues are in tears, is beauty heightened, called, shall atone for the broken and what my heart has ever depromise and wicked artifices of lighted to see. this cruel creature!

* * *

Is

"What excuse! Confound you, and your cursed daughters, GOING home, as I did, with re- what excuse can you make? solutions favourable to her, judge she not gone! Has she not thou of my distraction, when her escaped! But before I am quite escape was first hinted to me, al- distracted, before I commit half though but in broken sentences. an hundred murders, let me hear I knew not what I said, nor what how it was."

* * *

telling her, she would dispense I HAVE heard her story! Art, with her attendance; and that d-ned, confounded, wicked, un- should be all she would live upon pardonable art, in a woman of her in the interim." So, artful creacharacter- but shew me a woman, ture! pretending to lay up for a and I'll shew thee a plotter! week's siege. For, as to substantial food, she, no more than other angels angels, said I the devil take me if she shall be any more an angel! For she is odious in my eyes; and I hate her mortally!

This plaguy sex is art itself: every individual of it is a plotter by

nature.

This is the substance of the old wretch's account.

But oh! Lovelace, thou liest! She is all that is lovely! All that is excellent!

She told me, "That I had no sooner left the vile house, than Dorcas acquainted the Syren" [do, Jack, let me call her names! I beseech thee, Jack, to permit me to But is she, can she be gone! call her names!] "Than Dorcas O how Miss Howe will triumph! acquainted her lady with it; and But if that little fury receive that I had left word, that I was her, fate shall make me rich gone to Doctors' Commons, and amends; for then will I contrive should be heard of for some hours to have them both. at the Horn there, if inquired after I was looking back for connecby the counsellor, or any body tion but the devil take con

else: that afterwards I should be nection: I have no business with either at the Cocoa Tree, or King's it: the contrary best befits disArms, and should not return till traction, and that will soon be my late. She then urged her to take lot!

some refreshment.

"Dorcas consulted the old "She was in tears when Dorcas wretch about obeying her: O yes, approached her; her saucy eyes by all means: for Mr. Lovelace swelled with weeping: she refused knew how to come at her at any either to eat or drink: sighed as time: and directed a bottle of if her heart would break." sherry to be added. False, devilish grief: not the "This cheerful compliance so humble, silent, grief, that only deserves pity! Contriving to ruin me, to despoil me of all that I held valuable, in the very midst of it.

obliged her, that she was prevailed upon to go up, and look at the damage done by the fire; and seemed not only shocked at it, but, as they thought, satisfied it "Nevertheless, being resolved was no trick; as she owned she not to see me for a week at least, had at first apprehended it to be. she ordered her to bring up three All this made them secure; and or four French rolls, with a little they laughed in their sleeves, to butter, and a decanter of water; think what a childish way of

shewing her resentment she had believed she was a little turned in found out; Sally throwing out her her head, and knew not what she witticisms, that Mrs. Lovelace did. But all of them depended was right, however, not to quarrel upon her inexperience, her open with her bread and butter." temper, and upon her not making Now this very childishness, the least motion towards going they imagined it, in such a genius, out, or to have a coach or chair would have made me suspect called, as sometimes she had done; either her head, after what had and still more upon the preparahappened the night before; or her tions she had made for a week's purpose, when the marriage was siege, as I may call it.

from me in the same house.

as

(so far as she knew) to be com- Will went out, pretending to pleted within the week in which bring the letter to me; but quickly she was resolved to secrete herself returned; his heart still misgiving him, on recollecting my frequent "She sent Will, with a letter cautions, that he was not to judge to Wilson's, directed to Miss for himself, when he had positive Howe, ordering him to inquire if there were not one for her there. "He only pretended to go, and brought word there was none; and put her letter in his pocket

for me.

orders; but if any doubt occurred, from circumstances I could not foresee, literally to follow them, as the only way to avoid blame.

"But it must have been in this

little interval, that she escaped; for soon after his return, they "She then ordered him to carry made fast the street-door and another (which she gave him) to hatch, the mother and the two the Horn Tavern to me. All nymphs taking a little turn into this done without any seeming the garden; Dorcas going up hurry: yet she appeared to be stairs, and Will (to avoid being very solemn; and put her hand-seen by his lady, or his voice kerchief frequently to her eyes. heard) down into the kitchen. "Will pretended to come to me "About half an hour after, with this letter. But though the Dorcas, who had planted herself dog had the sagacity to mistrust where she could see her lady's something on her sending him out door open, had the curiosity to go a second time (and to me, whom to look through the keyhole, she had refused to see); which he having a misgiving, as she said, thought extraordinary; and men- that her lady might offer some tioned his mistrusts to Sally, violence to herself, in the mood Polly, and Dorcas; yet they made she had been in all day; and findlight of his suspicions; Dorcas ing the key in the door, which assuring them all, that her lady was not very usual, she tapped at seemed more stupid with her grief, it three or four times, and having than active; and that she really no answer, opened it, with Madam,

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